This invention relates to a flower pot carrying tray, and more specifically, to a flower pot carrying tray made of thin plastic material
In order to save on labour costs, nursery operations are currently mechanized or automated operations. Where it is desired to plant seeds or seedlings, hundreds, if not thousands of individual pots must be handled. First, the pots have to be filled with potting soil, and thereafter the seeds or seedings must be planted. In order to save on labour costs, methods have been developed to handle multiple pots at one time. One such example of this is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,013 issued on Aug. 4, 1987 to P. J. Jacobs, which shows a tray having a plurality of sections with ribbed walls that slope inwardly and are generally the same shape as the flower pot. A tray can be pushed onto inverted stacks of flower pots giving a friction fit between the tray and the flower pot such that the tray can be turned right side up and put on a conveyor belt. This patent was particularly suitable for polystyrene pots and trays.
A particular disadvantage of this prior art tray, however, is that if polypropylene and polyethylene is used for the pots or trays, the friction fit is not reliable enough.
The present invention seeks to provide a flower pot carrying tray which can be used with conventionally shaped flower pots and can grasp the flower pot when it is stacked upside down regardless of the material used to make the pot.